In ovo feeding, injecting nutrients into the amnion of the avian embryo, may enhance jejunal nutrient uptake, activity of the intestinal enzymes, and posthatch growth. This hypothesis was tested in the following in ovo feeding (IOF) experiments. In experiment 1, 400 eggs were evenly distributed among 4 nutritional treatments at 23 d of embryonic development (23E) and administered 1 of 4 treatme...

In this study we compared protection by DNA vaccination with the F (pCMV-F) or N (pCMV-N) gene from avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) in turkeys. One-week-old turkey poults received two intramuscular injections 2 wk apart. Birds were challenged with a turkey-embryo-adapted aMPV at 5 wk of age. Birds vaccinated with pCMV-F had decreased clinical signs of disease as well as significantly reduced virus...

In its acute form, Pullorum disease is almost exclusively a septicaemic disease of young chickens. However, the organism may also be associated with disease in turkey poults and may be carried subclinically or lead to reduced egg production and hatchability plus a range of atypical signs in older birds. Ovarian transmission is a major route by which the organism can spread. Game birds and ‘back...

Arcobacter butzleri causes human enteritis and is frequently recovered from poultry carcasses. The purpose of this study was to determine 1) the natural distribution of A. butzleri in poultry and 2) its relative pathogenicity in experimentally infected poultry. Cloacal samples (n = 407) were collected on four occasions from three flocks of chickens. Overall, Arcobacter spp. were recovered from ...

We examined Bordetella avium for virulence factors common to Bordetella pertussis, including pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, adenylate cyclase, dermonecrotic toxin, and tracheal cytotoxin. B. avium produced a dermonecrotic toxin and a tracheal cytotoxin. The dermonecrotic toxin of B. avium is a 155,000-molecular-weight, heat-labile protein which was lethal for mice, guinea pigs, you...

A series of bacteriophages, lytic for bacteria belonging to the genera Escherichia and Salmonella, were isolated. The phages were isolated from fecal samples, intestinal contents of turkey poults, and carrier cultures of S. typhimurium, S. typhimurium var copenhagen, S. heidelberg, and E. coli. The feasibility of using different habitats as sources of Salmonella phages was evaluated. The carrie...

A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the efficacy of Pediococcus acidlactici (Bactocell®) or Baccillus cereus (Toyocerin®)-based probiotics on turkey’s performance, carcass yield, blood parameters and intestinal morphology. A total of 240 1- day-old male Nicholas turkey poults were allocated into three dietary groups with four replicates. A corn-soybean-based diet was used as a basal di...